Arif Ahmed is Associate Professor of Health Administration at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management and is the Department Chair for Public Affairs. He also has a courtesy faculty appointment at the UMKC School of Dentistry. He is also faculty coordinator for the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in public affairs and administration in the Bloch School.

Dr. Ahmed's primary research interest is in non-monetary determinants of access and utilization of health care. His current research agenda focuses on cost, quality, and outcome characteristics of alternative health care delivery models, and the policy implications of distribution and patterns of dental diseases and care needs. His research has appeared in preeminent medical and public health journals including Annals of Family Medicine, Public Health Reports, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, Medical Decision Making, and Nursing Research, and he has made numerous research presentations at national and international academic conferences. He also leads two acclaimed executive education programs at the Bloch School - the Cerner Certificate in Healthcare Leadership and the Physician Leadership Program. He routinely provides expert commentary on health policy issues to the print and electronic media.